I know a way to ripen figs faster is to apply vegetable oil/olive oil to the eye of the fig, but how big should the fig be when you apply the oil?

Hello aeilee,

Here is an excerpt from "The Fig: Its History, Culture and Curing" by Gustav Eisen:

 "OILING THE FIGS.
In southern France—in Argenteuil and in Frette—a process is performed called ' appreter les Agues " or hastening the figs. In Argenteuil and in Frette it is employed on all the figs which are desired to ripen early, the proper time for this process being of the utmost importance. If done too early the figs will not ripen at all, but will dry and spoil.The proper time is when the fig begins to color and the skin begins to feel soft, or about seventeen days before it would regularly mature if left alone. Toward evening, if possible, a single drop of good olive oil is placed on the eye of the fig, care being taken not to spread the oil. The oil is placed on the eye by means of a wheat straw and in such a way as to touch only the center of the eye. The next day the fig shows a change and in nine or ten days it may be cut, perfectly ripe, the operation having hastened the ripening of the fig certainly from six to eight days. Such treated figs are also better, sweeter, and with smaller seeds than those which have not been oiled."
 
Hope it helps!

Aeilee I tried that last year on a few that I was to impatient to wait for. It was not worth it in my opinion. It gave me the wrong idea on flavor and texture and seed crunch. It made the fig completely different in my opinion. I will now wait and let nature do its thing it is so much more rewarding...Good luck with your experiment and continue to think outside the box. It might work for you in your zone and with your cultivar.

If you intent to have the fig consumed by you,do not try it,if you intend to make someone else not to care for fig fruits,then by all means it will work.
It is not only changing the flavor taste and crunch of seeds,it makes the fruit taste like cardboard.

If memory serves me right in 2008 a cold fig season i tried on only a few just when the figs were starting to turn .
It worked but they were flat tasting , the other figs i left ripened about 10 days or so later and it made a huge difference in taste. 

Thank you for all the responses! My Fig plant has 4 figs on it and 3 of them are as big as a penny. If applying oil changes the taste, i am not going to do it! I am just wondering if you think they would ripen? If you want to see pics go to the forum " Italian Varieties - Fig ID" And i have a picture of my fig there

Yes Ruben:If you Believe Eisen,and not us,you are free to try,as he mention the figs will be sweeter,and Better.
I would like to point out that ,at Argenteuil,and Frette,fig fruits were grown specifically to be sold in Paris market,so getting them sooner to market meant better price per pound.
The grower did not consumed those fruits.

Herman2,

I was not advocating using this technique. The kid asked how it was performed and I told him how. I have not tried it precisely this way and I have yet to hear anyone on this forum say they have. People can make mistakes especially when information is passed down by hearsay. I really doubt that the assumption that a farmer would not have sampled his produce would have fooled all those French buyers into thinking sh*t was Shinola. I, myself tried doing this last fall based on what I read here and the result was poor. In hindsight, the technique described was not just like the one discussed by Eisen and so I, for one, cannot say it does not work.

Ailee, I have tried this method, using olive oil and it did ripen the figs faster.  But I would only and have only done this in late September or October when the figs I oil have no chance of ripening on their own.  I FIGure I would rather eat figs than not even if they don't taste as good as they can.  To repeat this is an "emergency" forcing of ripening not to even be considered now unless you are in Australia or the southern hemisphere. 

Well Ruben,I have tried to oil my figs,only once,and my figs were not better,nor sweeter,than if they are left alone,to ripe on their own.
I know you are not advocating the use of oiling,on figs,but I want reader to take a note of my results which were totally different than the results of mister Gustav Eisen.

Indeed my results were same as Hermans and i timed them just like Gustav mentions as i been growing them and its simple process to know when this is to be done if you know and watch your figs.
Its not a big a deal just the figs are lesser quality taste wise .
For me i would not do it again .

Figs are great in my yard when ripened by mother nature on there own time and not rushed by ones hand i feel.

Try for yourself though .